LINGUIST List 17.1968
Thu Jul 06 2006
Diss: Translation: Sosoni: 'Aspects of Lexical Cohesion in EU Texts...'
Editor for this issue: Meredith Valant
<meredithlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Vilelmini
Sosoni,
Aspects of Lexical Cohesion in EU Texts: A critical study of Greek translations and English hybrid texts
Message 1: Aspects of Lexical Cohesion in EU Texts: A critical study of Greek translations and English hybrid texts
Date: 06-Jul-2006
From: Vilelmini Sosoni <Vilelminihotmail.com>
Subject: Aspects of Lexical Cohesion in EU Texts: A critical study of Greek translations and English hybrid texts
Institution: University of Surrey
Program: Department of Linguistic, Cultural and International Studies
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004
Author: Vilelmini Sosoni
Dissertation Title: Aspects of Lexical Cohesion in EU Texts: A critical study of Greek translations and English hybrid texts
Linguistic Field(s):
Translation
Subject Language(s): Greek (ell)
Dissertation Director:
Margaret Rogers
Dissertation Abstract:
This study sets out to explain the reported negative reaction that Greektranslations of English EU texts and English hybrid EU texts have receivedfrom the public by means of an empirical investigation of lexical cohesion,and in particular of lexical repetition as a possible contributing factor.More specifically, the study attempts to investigate whether the lexicalrepetition patterns in Greek translated EU texts differ from the lexicalrepetition patterns in Greek original EU texts and, similarly, whether thelexical repetition patterns in English hybrid EU texts differ from thelexical repetition patterns in English original EU texts.
In order to further explore reported anecdotal evidence, questionnaires areused to test reader reaction with respect to a Greek translated EU text andan English hybrid EU test. The findings of the questionnaire analysissuggest that ordinary readers, based on specific textual features, candistinguish between a Greek original EU text and a Greek translated EU textand between an English original EU text and an English hybrid EU text.Following indications that patterns of cohesion may be a contributingfactor to the reaction of readers, a text corpus is compiled and analysedin order to specifically investigate lexical repetition patterns in GreekEU translations and English hybrid EU texts. The lexical repetition modelthat is formulated and used for the analysis of the corpus distinguishesbetween text-bound and non text-bound lexical repetition relations and ispredominantly based on Hoey's (1991) theory of patterns of lexis in text,Hasan's (1984) framework of coherence and cohesive harmony and Klaudy andKároly's (2000) taxonomy for the analysis of the text-organising role oflexical repetition. The findings of the corpus analysis reveal that thelevel of lexical repetition in the Greek translated EU texts does not seemto conform to that of equivalent Greek original EU texts, i.e. it ishigher, and, similarly, that the level of lexical repetition in the Englishhybrid EU texts does not seem to conform to that of equivalent Englishoriginal EU texts, i.e. it is lower.
The findings of the study are used as a starting point to better understandthe public's negative reaction vis-à-vis EU texts, gain some insight intotranslation and text production in the Institutions of the European Union,and make recommendations for the improvement of the quality of Greek EUtranslations and English hybrid EU texts.
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